The Love-Story of Aliette Brunton

The novel centers on Aliette Brunton a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage to her husband Hubert Brunton. Hubert is portrayed as domineering and emotionally distant and his treatment of Aliette leads her to feel stifled and unfulfilled in her role as a wife. Aliette’s dissatisfaction with her marriage grows as she questions the societal expectations placed on women to endure unhappy relationships for the sake of propriety and respectability. The story takes a turn when Aliette meets and falls in love with Sir Gerald Corbett a barrister with whom she forms a deep emotional connection. The novel explores the moral and emotional conflict that arises from this affair as Aliette struggles with her feelings for Gerald while being bound by her marriage to Hubert. As the affair becomes public knowledge Aliette faces the harsh judgment of society which condemns her for defying the norms of marriage and propriety.